Osteopath and Sports Injury Rehab specialist

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Sciatica Treatment in Kingston

If you are suffering from Sciatica with aching pain down the back of your leg into your calf and even your toes Kingston-based osteopath Hugo Firth has been successfully treating patients with this problem in Kingston and Norbiton for a number of years. Registered with GOsC and a member or the Institute of Osteopathy, he is a musculoskeletal specialist, who combines osteopathy with 3D Functional movement, developed by the Gray Institute. He also uses sports massage, trigger point therapy and medical acupuncture to treat his patients.

What is Sciatica?

It is pain and or numbness that can follow the sciatic nerve. Patients can experience pain anywhere from the buttock and down the leg, all the way into the foot. The Sciatic nerve is the longest, thickest nerve in the body. It starts from the base of your spine. It is approximately as thick as your index finger.

The two most common causes of sciatica can be found at the base of the spine or in the buttock. There are other causes of sciatica but here are we focus on the most common.

Most common Causes of Sciatica

Cause 1

Compression of the nerve as it exits the spinal column

This can be due to either a disc bulging out and pressing on the nerve itself or local inflammation at a joint with associated muscle spasm. Bending to the side of the sciatica normally aggravates sciatic pain symptoms as does sitting for long periods or walking. Pain is often described as burning, aching and numbness anywhere from the buttock down to the foot.

What can be done

The key to reducing the pain away is take the pressure off the nerve by reducing swelling and improving disc health.

Osteopathy treatment in Kingston

This is achieved with a combination of joint articulation, muscle therapy, medical acupuncture and therapeutic exercise to address the cause of the injury. Expert advice is also provided for you to help yourself in between treatments to help your body heal itself.

Cause 2

Compression of the sciatic nerve by the Piriformis muscle

In this diagram you can see that the sciatic nerve passes very close to one of the pelvic muscles called Piriformis (called this because it is the shape of a pyramid).

Walking and sitting for long periods aggravates it. The Piriformis muscle becomes very tight and compresses the sciatic nerve. This is often due to an imbalance of muscles around the pelvis causing a slight rotation. Patients often feel ‘twisted’. It can often happen during pregnancy as the pelvis adapts to the changing position of the foetus.

What can be done

In the first instance the pain is addressed by reducing the tightness in the Piriformis itself.

This is followed by the muscle imbalance that caused the ‘tightness’ in the first place through a series muscle releases and specific exercises to address the pelvic rotation and importantly give you the means to keep it that way.

During a recent visit back home (London) from the Middle East I suddenly found myself in much pain radiating from my neck to the scapular area having sustained some sort of injury when stretching. Totally restricted movement and the thought of being like this on a long haul flight I contacted Osteopathy Partnership (Hugo). I was seen same day and accommodated at a time that was most convenient for myself. What a marvellous professional genius this man is... after an hour of manipulation, stretches and exercises I was finally able to move again. Truly thankful and can thoroughly recommend this highly professional establishment. Keep up the excellent work Hugo!! Will certainly see you again soon! Regards Scott 🙏😊read more

I went to Hugo with severe knee pain about two weeks before I was due to go to Rome for a cycling sportive. At the time, I was barely managing to do five miles without pain - and this had been going on for months. Thanks to Hugo’s treatment, I was able to do (and enjoy) the bike race. I am now doing his exercises every day, and am back to the same level of training as before the injury. Thanks Hugo! Would highly recommend!read more

I had lost the feeling in my little finger and had put it down to too much gym. Hugo worked out that it was actually caused by my right hip! After two sessions I had all the feeling back and was moving much more easily than before. A really nice man to work with who doesn't try to keep you going for sessions that are not needed which I really appreciated.read more

Following an unsuccessful trip to my GP with severe back pain (take pain killers and rest) I contacted Hugo who saw me straight away. I left my first session with a diagnosis and a plan for the next week on how to ease the pain. Subsequent sessions were all extremely useful and I still use the prescribed exercises as warm ups for any sporting activity. Hugo is friendly, professional and very approachable and I can thoroughly recommend his practice.read more

Hugo is a great in as much as not just the help he gives you with your appointed time with him but the exercises he gives you to do and the fact that you can see the videos he has made of the exercises being done which is such a help.read more

Brilliant!
...and I'm an expert osteopathic patient - having had to visit an awful lot of osteopaths in the past!
Fantastic advice, training and support.
Hugo's exercises have really helped me to take control of improving my own back.
I still have a long way to go as I need to correct the bad postural habits of a lifetime!
It is never too late to improve, and I can really feel the benefits of daily exercises that are slowly helping me to unlock my jammed mid-back.
The videos are really useful too.
Jillread more

Attended a talk on posture tonight as i have suffered from neck pain for many years. Great course content, useful self help video & live demonstrations- i need to now practise the exercises! Thank you Hugoread more

I cannot recommend Hugo highly enough - from the actual treatment right through to his personable approach. His useful videos are also great to supplement the treatment and be able to manage one's own pain when needed.
Hugo treated me when I was in excruciating pain following a nerve issue and at a time when other professionals told me to wait for the acute pain to subside before I could have treatment.... After just two appointments with Hugo, the pain was gone almost completely. A few more sessions later and I am now pain free!read more

Hugo is a very skilled osteopath. I had a frozen shoulder that I had been battling with for over a year, with various treatments from the NHS and it was still getting progressively worse. I saw Hugo early this year, around March. After about 10 sessions, I had 85% of movement back in my shoulder, I had resumed work, the constant chronic pain, that was my normal, had stopped. And when I saw the NHS consultant on my next follow up, he said to me "if any of my patients, after surgery, had the movement in their shoulder that you do, I'd be happy." And with that he discharged me. Hugo has given me my work life back. And now about 3 1/2 months later, my shoulder has continued to heal. With the recommended at home exercises that Hugo give, I now have about 98% of movement back in my shoulder. I have resumed my life. Thanks Hugoread more

In December I had a severe spasm across my lower back leaving me unable to tie my shoes or much else. Hugo was amazing and within 15 weeks im running half marathon distances. Not long till my first London marathon! Couldnt have achieved any of it without Hugo's helpread more

I came to Mr Firth with a hip condition that was ccausing restricted movement in my right hip, the result of an over enthusiastic weight training regime. Mr Firth gave me an expert assessment and diagnosis and manipulted the hip back into position and it has caused me no further problems. He provided an empathetic, knowledgable and articulate explanation and a service that provided first rate results.read more

Thanks Hugo for your professional, friendly care. I visited on a recommendation from a colleague, having put up with back and shoulder pain for way too long, I now feel like I have an understanding of why these pains occur and how to manage them going forward, thanks to your thorough and clear explanations, effective treatment and suggested exercises.read more

Introduction The biological changes that take place in the female body as it prepares for birth have a significant impact on the musculoskeletal system. Increased hormone levels (progesterone and relaxin)…

Using Video to help the healing process

Hugo also facilitates his patients’ recoveries by videoing his patients practising their exercises, with their permission, so they complete them effectively and properly at home to accelerate their recovery time. As a patient you will also have access to his dedicated YouTube channel, for Therapeutic Exercise where a library of specific exercises can be found to help you recover and give you a useful reference point for the future.

Hugo recently treated my wife , Maureen for Sciatica on the right side
This is a terrible condition , and very painful
Hugo sorted this out very quickly
A big thank you to Hugo who is an excellent Osteopath
and we would definitely recommend him

Eric SvendsenRetired

“

I had experienced Sciatica occasionally with my previous two pregnancies with my previous children and it normally went with rest. However this time it was just getting worse and worse. I couldn't stand, sit or walk for any length of time. Rest wasn't working!

I saw Hugo and he explained why it was happening. He gave me some specific exercises to do on the opposite side of the pain. He also gave me some acupuncture and massaged the muscles which was quite painful but it felt like it was helping. After 3 days I could feel the difference. One more treatment and doing the exercises religiously for approx 7 days and my Sciatica had all but gone. I can't recommend Hugo enough. If you are pregnant and experiencing sciatic pain don't suffer, go and see him.

LibbyMum of two soon to be Three

“

Highly recommend Hugo Firth to fix those niggles, aches and pains. His rehab programme
has worked wonders for me. Riding pain free 🙂 April 2016

CormacCyclist and Businessman

“

Hugo treated me when I was in excruciating pain following a nerve issue and at a time when other professionals told me to wait for the acute pain to subside before I could have treatment.... After just two appointments with Hugo, the pain was gone almost completely. A few more sessions later and I am now pain free!